Engaging the Next Generation: How University College Birmingham Students Developed a New Marketing Strategy for The Malverns

Engaging the Next Generation: How University College Birmingham Students Developed a New Marketing Strategy for The Malverns

At the 2024 Tourism Management Institute (TMI) Conference hosted by University College Birmingham, a conversation began that would turn into a live destination marketing consultancy project. After watching UCB students present their tourism strategy work with Church Stretton Town Council, Victoria Carman, Visitor Economy Officer for Malvern Hills District Council, approached the team with a new challenge. Would they like to work with The Malverns next?

From that moment, facilitated by the TMI network, a collaboration was formed to address a clear and timely marketing question: How can The Malverns better engage younger domestic visitors and unlock growth from the 18–35 market?

The Marketing Challenge

The Malverns is widely recognised for its natural beauty, heritage, and cultural depth. However, like many rural destinations, its strongest appeal has traditionally resonated with older visitor demographics. The objective of the project was not to change what The Malverns is, but to reposition how it is perceived by younger audiences within the domestic market.

The brief set by Malvern Hills District Council focused on increasing footfall and digital engagement among 18–35 year olds, developing targeted social media campaigns, identifying suitable influencer partnerships, and exploring product development opportunities that would make the destination feel more relevant to younger generations.

The opportunity was significant. One third of the West Midlands population is under the age of 25, and Great Malvern is accessible from Birmingham in under an hour by train. The audience was there. The question was how to connect with them in an authentic and strategically aligned way.

Research-Led Strategy Development

Rather than beginning with creative ideas, the students approached the project as consultants. They analysed Gen Z travel behaviour, regional demographics, and current tourism trends, ensuring their recommendations aligned with existing destination strategy.

Their research revealed powerful insights. Gen Z travellers prioritise experiences over possessions and increasingly view travel as essential to their wellbeing. The vast majority report that travel reduces anxiety and improves mental health, with many planning trips specifically for wellness benefits. At the same time, this generation is navigating what has been described as a period of “permacrisis”; this being economic uncertainty, climate anxiety, continual conflict and constant digital connectivity. Many report feeling overwhelmed and digitally fatigued.

This insight became the foundation of the first strategy.

Strategy One: “Disconnect to Reconnect”

The students identified a natural alignment between Gen Z’s need for calm and The Malverns’ core strengths: open landscapes, fresh air, heritage spaces and independent businesses.

The campaign concept, “Disconnect to Reconnect,” positions Great Malvern as a destination where visitors can switch off from digital overload and reconnect with themselves, friends and nature. Rather than competing with high-energy city breaks, the strategy reframes The Malverns as a restorative escape, essentially a destination for digital detox, reflection and wellbeing.

The marketing execution was designed specifically for platforms such as TikTok and Instagram. Short-form video content would contrast scenes of screen fatigue with the calm of walking the hills, listening to birdsong, or watching the sunset. ASMR-style clips capturing natural sounds were proposed to tap into trends around sensory wellbeing. Consistent hashtags and calls-to-action would unify the campaign and encourage peer-to-peer sharing.

Crucially, the strategy does not manufacture a new identity for The Malverns. It amplifies what already exists and translates it into language that resonates with younger audiences.

Strategy Two: International Students as Domestic Tourists

The second strategy identified a high-potential yet under-targeted market: international students already studying in the UK.

Birmingham is a major higher education hub with thousands of international students seeking travel experiences during their time in the UK. With direct rail connections and short journey times, Great Malvern is both accessible and affordable for short breaks. These students represent international tourists already within the domestic market; a low-cost segment with strong spending potential and interest in cultural exploration.

The students developed a “Home Away from Home” market positioning strategy. Encouraging partnerships between West Midlands universities and Malvern Hills District Council. Ambassador programmes, curated day-trip itineraries and student-focused influencer collaborations were proposed. One creative concept linked The Malverns’ literary heritage; including associations with C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien, to storytelling-led Instagram content created by student micro-influencers.

This strategy also offered the potential to support off-peak visitation, contributing to sustainable growth rather than seasonal pressure.

Industry Response and Next Steps

The final strategies were presented at the Visit The Malverns Tourism Forum to 50+ tourism stakeholders at the iconic Malvern Theatres in January 2026. The reception was extremely positive, reflecting both the quality of research and the professionalism of delivery.

Victoria Carman reflected on the collaboration:

The next stage will involve exploring how elements of the strategies can be phased into Visit The Malverns’ marketing activity. This may include pilot social media campaigns, influencer partnerships and university collaborations to test audience response before wider implementation.

A Model for Industry–Academic Collaboration

This project demonstrates the value of meaningful collaboration between higher education and the visitor economy. It began with a presentation at a Tourism Management Institute conference on a previous project and evolved into our next live consultancy project; delivering strategic, research-led solutions to a real destination marketing challenge.

For The Malverns, the opportunity lies in reframing its timeless assets for a new generation. For the students, the experience strengthened their confidence, consultancy skills and ability to deliver commercially relevant recommendations.

This collaboration between University College Birmingham (UCB) students and The Malverns offers an important reminder: the next generation of tourism professionals is rich in talent, creativity, commitment and strategic insight. What they often lack is not capability — but opportunity.

Through this project, students demonstrated innovation, professionalism and a strong understanding of place marketing, audience engagement and strategic positioning. Their work highlights the value of creating meaningful industry–education partnerships that allow emerging professionals to apply their skills to real-world destination challenges.

TMI encourages members to explore opportunities to collaborate with academic institutions and harness this emerging expertise. If you are interested in working with University College Birmingham on future projects, please contact Simon Faulkner via LinkedIn or at s.faulkner@ucb.ac.uk.

The students involved in this project were:
Nafsika Kasapi, Sarthak Kant Sedhain, Skye Smith, Alexandra Tousouni and Diego Funes de la Torre.